Automatic street-railway switch.



"N0. 855 O90. v PATENTED MAY 28, 1907. I J. A. BOQUIST; AUTOMATIC STREETRAILWAY SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED APR. 2,1906.

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AUTOMATIC STREET-RAILWAY SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 1907.

Application filed April 2, 1906. Serial No. 309,332.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. Booursr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Street-Railway Switches; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same. h: My invention has for its special object to provide asimple and eflicient device whereby a motorneer on a street car may turna switch in a track over which the car is to travel.

To the above end the invention consists of the device and combination ofdevices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view showing what may beassumed to be a street car track including a switch in plan, and showingcertain parts of the switchthrowing device sectioned on the line 00 x ofFig. 3. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side eleva tion showing a portion ofthe track and a portion of the improved switch-throwing device. Fig. 3is a transverse section taken approximately on the line 00 no of Fig. 3,some parts being shown in dotted lines only, and Fig. 4 is a detail viewin horizontal section taken on the line 00 x of Fig. 3.

The numerals 1 and 2 indicate the rails of what may be assumedto be therails of the main line, and the numerals 3 and 4 indicate the rails ofwhat may be assumed to be the rails of a side track or branch line. Therails 1 and 3 are shown as if continuous, and the end rail 4 is shown asseparated from the rail 2 far enough to permit the flanges of the carwheels to pass between them. In the gap between the sections of therails 1 is a pivoted switch rail 4.

The construction and arrangement of the rails described is what is foundin general use in all street car systems. It is only necessary to herestate that when the pivoted switch rail 4 is in the position shown byfull lines in Fig. 1, the car will be caused to run on the rails of themain track, while when the side switch rail is moved into the positionshown by dotted lines-in Fig. 1 a car running in the direction of thearrow marked in Fig. 1 will be caused to run from the main line onto thebranch line. When a car travels in a reverse direction from the branchline toward the main line, no switch-throwing device is required,because the flanges of the wheels will force the switch rail 4 from theposition shown in full lines into the position shown by dotted lines.

In the present custom when a car is running in the direction shown bythe arrow in Fig, 1 and it is desired to run onto the branch line tostop the car with its front wheels close to the free end of the switchrail 4* and then by a long rod to force the switch rail 4 from the saidposition shown by full lines into the position shown by dotted lines, myimproved switch-throwing device operates to automatically throw theswitch rail 4 from the position shown by full lines into the positionshown'by dotted lines while the car is in motion; thus making itunnecessary to stop the car in order to throw the switch.

In order to render a switch-throwing device which is carried by the caroperator to throw the switch rail 4, a sliding rod 5 is pivotallyattached to the intermediate portion of said rail, is mounted to slidethrough suitable guides 6 in the rod bed, and is provided with anupturned end 7.

Mounted in a bearing bracket 8 secured on the bottom of the car and inother suitable bearings on the car, is a vertical switch rod 9 which atits lower end is provided with a cam head 10 which, as shown, is'formedby bending the end of the said rod laterally upon itself. The upper endof the rod 9 is provided with a crank-like handpie'ce 11 by means ofwhich the cam head 10 may be turned from the position shown by fulllines in Fig. 1 into the position shown by dotted lines in said view,and vice-versa. By downward pressure on the rod 9 the cam head 10 isadapted to be moved into a plane for engagement with the upturned end 7of the rod 5, but the said rod is normally held upward in a osition tocarry the cam'head 10 into a p ane above the said upturned end of saidrod 5, as shown by means of a coil spring 12 which reacts against thebracket 8 and against the coil 13 on said rod 9.

To assist in holding the cam head 10 in either of the two positions inwhich it may be set, I provide a lock bracket 14 which is secured to asuitable support, such as the front of the vestibule of the car, and isadapted to engage the crank 11 when the rod 9 is pushed downward andthereby hold the said rod, crank, and cam head 10 in either of the twopositions in which they may be set.

To illustrate the action of the switch-throwing device, it is firstassumed that the car is moving in the direction of the arrow marked inFig. 1, that the switch rail 4 is in the position shown by full lines inFig. 1 and that it is desired to run the car from the main line onto thebranch line. In this case the rod 9 should be turned so that its camhead-1O will stand in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1, andthen should be pushed downward so as to carry the said cam head inposition for action on the upward end of the rod 5. The said cam headthen stands at an angle with respect to the line of travel of the car,and in such position that under the forward movement of the car it willhave a camming action on the upturned end 7 of the rod 5, and willthereby positively force the switch rail 4 into. the position shown bydotted lines in Fig. 1, and consequently cause the car to run from themain line onto the branch line. If, on the other hand, the switch rail 4stands in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and it is desiredto have the car continue to run on the main line past the switch, thesaid cam head 10 should be set in the position shown by dotted lines inFig. 1, so that under a forward movement of the car in the direc tion ofthe arrow marked in Fig. 1, the said cam head acting on the upturned endof the rod 5 will positively force the switch rail 4 from the positionindicated by dotted lines into the position indicated by full lines inFig. '1.

It is not necessary for the motorneer to see or know the position inwhich the switch rail 4 may happen to stand. He of course knows whetherhe wishes to continue to run on the main line or to switch off onto thebranch line, and he sets his switch-tln'owing device in the properposition to accomplish that result. If it so happens that the switchrail 4 already stands in the proper position, the switch-throwing devicewill of course have no action on the switch rail.

The cam head 10 must, of course, be located far enough ahead of thefront wheels ol the car to cause the switch rail 4 to be moved beforethe said forward wheels reach the said switch rail.

The device described may of course take various forms and be variouslyarranged all within the scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

The combination with the rails of a main line and a branch line, and apivoted switch rail for switching the cars from one line to the other,of a rod connected to said switch rail and having a single upturned endor pro jeetion that is mounted to move from one side to the other of thecenter of the track, and a vertical switch rod mounted on. the car lotpivotal and vertical movements, said switch rod having a depending end,a cam head adapted to be raised and lowered and to be set at dillerentangles with respect to the line of travel, said cam head when loweredbeing operative, under both directions of travel ol the car, upon theupturned end of the rod which is connected to said switch :rail,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. BOQUIST.

Vitnesses MALIE HoEL, F. D. MERCHANT.

